Other Worlds

Today I was sent to
the plumbing supply store
with a list of things
in another language

black tee
black reductive
cpva female iron piping/fip
cop 90

I had to ask the plumber
to repeat himself
again and again
because I'd never heard
these words before
let alone tell them to
someone else
at a counter

and there's a pipe called female?
why is that?

perhaps because the plumbing supply store
is an outpost of civilization
where females-do-not-tread

Don't let those guys ignore you or push ahead of you
my husband cautioned over the phone
You've got to get in there!

List in hand and with an attitude ready
I trespasssed on the terrain
of plumbers

there was an old counter with stools
and metal shelving
boxes full of plumbing ware

I tentatively read off the list
and they brought it to me
a grizzled old guy even
offered up his stool
and the cashiers smiled
helpfully as I stumbled along

what other pockets of the world
have I not
attended to?
what other pockets of life
do I not
know?